John McEnroe believes Novak Djokovic must deal with the fact that his best days are now behind him following his emphatic defeat to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of Wimbledon on Friday.
The Serb had gone into the mouthwatering showdown hoping to make the final of the tournament for the 11th time.
However, Djokovic was a shadow of his usual self - with Sinner setting up a blockbuster clash with Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Centre Court.
At the age of 38, the Serb is starting to show signs of waning.
John McEnroe believes Novak Djokovic must deal with the fact that his best days are now behind him following his emphatic defeat to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of Wimbledon on Friday
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He hasn't won a single Grand Slam since the US Open in 2023 and has now missed out on a place in the final of Wimbledon for the first time since 2017.
Sinner, along with Alcaraz, is now leading the way at the top of the rankings.
Sunday's final will be their second Grand Slam duel of the year, having produced an epic at the French Open last month.
And McEnroe, speaking on TNT Sports, has now expressed a belief that Djokovic's best days are behind him - describing it as an 'unfortunate fact' the tennis legend must deal with.
"He's finally joined the crowd of older champions that realise the best is behind them and then they have to deal with that unfortunate fact," said the American.
"I don't know how much of it was an injury or accumulation of difficult matches, but father time is undefeated.
"Honestly, it's been amazing he's got this far. Crazy. Phenomenal. Beyond belief."
McEnroe also thinks Djokovic must now take some time to decide on his future, adding: "Novak will have a lot of thinking to do over the next month or so. Does he think it was because he was injured, or is his body beat up?"
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic makes retirement decision after Wimbledon thrashing
Novak Djokovic was outclassed by Jannik Sinner during Friday's Wimbledon semi-final clash
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For many years, Djokovic had an epic rivalry with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
Those three players have all walked away from the sport, however, leaving the veteran as the last man standing.
Djokovic hasn't got any plans to hang up his racket just yet, though. Speaking in a press conference after his chastening defeat, the 24-time Grand Slam winner insisted he was eager to play at Wimbledon in the future.
"Hopefully it’s not my last match on the Centre Court," he said.
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"I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today.
"So I’m planning to come back definitely at least one more time, play on the Centre Court for sure."
He continued: "Right now I’m so fresh off the court, it’s hard to put things in a larger perspective and say what the plan is for the next few months or a year.
"I’ve put everything I possibly can when it comes to training and preparing myself so I can play my best at Grand Slams.
Jannik Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's Wimbledon final after overcoming Novak Djokovic
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"I think, regardless of the fact that I haven’t won a Grand Slam this year, or last year, I still feel like I continue to play my best tennis at Grand Slams.
"Those are the tournaments that I care about at this stage of my career the most.
"So yeah, I probably have to revisit everything and see with my team, with my family, how I want to proceed with my schedule and where I want to peak and how I want to train."